The Coast News Group
The Escondido Fire Department responded to a house fire on June 15 in an unincorporated area near Escondido. Courtesy photo/EFD
The Escondido Fire Department responded to a house fire on June 15 in an unincorporated area near Escondido. Courtesy photo/EFD
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Wife dies in Escondido house fire, husband in critical condition

ESCONDIDO —  A woman died and her husband was in the hospital in critical condition today after a fire burned their home in an unincorporated area just outside Escondido, authorities said.

The fire was reported at 2:27 a.m. Thursday in the 2400 block of Alexander Drive, according to Lt. Matthew Carpenter of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

When Escondido Fire Department crews arrived, they saw a man outside the home who told them his wife was still trapped inside the home, according to a release.

Firefighters found her inside and pulled her out of the burning home. After performing immediate life-saving measures on the woman, the husband and wife were rushed to separate hospitals — Palomar and UC San Diego Burn Center — in critical condition.

Carpenter said the woman was later declared dead from her burn injuries.

The cause of the fire was being investigated by Bomb Arson detectives, Carpenter said.